Steering mechanism for traction-engines.



w. s.. MORTON. I STEERING MECHANISM FOR TRACTION ENGINES.

nrmoflion FILED 001210, 1911.

"Patented may 27, 1913.

2 BKEETFBHBET 1.

glvwemboz alkpzneqo w. s. MORTON.

STEERING MECHANISM FOR TRAUTION ENGINES.

APPLIOATIOH FILED OUT. 10, 1911.

Patented May 27,1913.

2 BERNIE-SHEET 2 irlllz l H v U T s'r Es PATENT OFFICE.

WALTER s. moB'roN, or ron'rsmon'rrr, orno, ASSIGNOR 'I.0 shimmer. F. DUNKLE;

' rnnsrnn or HARRISBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

citizen of the United States, residing at Portsmouth, in the county of Scioto and A srnnnmo; MECHANISM roR'r'RAorIoN-ENerNns.

Specification of Iietters Patent. Applicaticnfiled October 10, 1911: Serial o. 653,514.

To all wh om z't may concern:

Be it known that I, WALTER S; MORTON, a

. Stalte of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steering Mechanism for Traction-Engines; and I do declare-the following to be a full,-. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled inthe art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to traction engines, and more especially to the steering mechanism therefor and the object of the same is to adapt the steering mechanism to the front ,4

axle of a pair which are connected by a short-turning gear, both axlesbeing driven bychains from a source of power located between the two.-

lVIore'particularl; the present invention consists in the details of connection between the steering mechanism and the engine whereby the former may be driven mechanically,-and in thespecific construction ,of the short-turning gear and the connection.

between it and the steering. mechanism whereby the whole is, ,adapted to a vehicle of this kind.

-is'.connected with the steering mechanism,-

' {and asection through the driven sprocket casin Fig. 4: is an enlarged horizontal section t rough the center of the front axle and the differential therein, one end of-the axle gandone wheel being shown in plan view;

' T'ni'sm proper, onan enlarged scale, and Fig.

Fig. 5 is a rear elevation of this device, looking at Fig. tfrom the rightgFig. 6 we detailed plan view of the steering mecha- 7 is a section on-theline 7- 7 oflFig.-6; Fig. '8 is a vertical section through the'housing inclosing the parts contained therein.

The wheels V of this motor-driven 've hicle (which may be-a. traction engine or' an automobile) are secured to the outerends of front and rear axles F and respectively, each made in two .nected by a differential which includes a parts condriven sprocket D, and the running-gear or Patented May 27, 1913.

chassis supported 'by said axles carries;-

a body comprising a box B and a cab C. In the latter is disposed the steering mechanism whichforms the subject matter of this patent, whereas the driving meeha- 'nism connected with the gasolene engine E Serial Number 653,915 and filed herewithJ I-ha've not in the'present case illustrated or described the exact form of the drive chain which I prefer to employ, as the same forms the subject matter-of a companion application-filed this day by me and bearing Serial Number 653,916 and it will be" understood that the face \of 'the driving and driven sprockets will beshaped 'to conform with said chain. The gist of-the present patent lies in the mechanism for steering a' vehicle of this kind embodying the short-turning gear, the driving mechanism above referred to and setforth'in the companion case, and

the torsion pivot which will be described below; v

Briefly described, the power shaft P car-- each chain passes over two ries a'-double sprocket wheel '1 from-which lead two chains 2 forward and backward to the front and rear axles res ectively,'and'.

guide pulleys supported on swinging hangers within a' housing 3 surrounding the driven sprocket.

' will be understood. In this connection ref- D forming part of the difi'erentialatthe.

erence is made to Figs. 1,"-4:"and 8. to

the torsion pivot, in a vehicl'epf this Qc'har- -acter having a long body. the cabG is by,

preference made separate front the box B a and these parts are independently mountedon the front and rear ends of the framework or chassis, The latter is also iby preference made in two parts as best se'en'in 1 and 2, and these two partshave face plates. 43 and 44 which-rest and rub against. each other and areconnected by a torsion bolt 45,

or move sinuouslyas the vehiclelpassesov'er a thus permitting the frame or chassis t'o;fiex 5 I obstructions. This sinuous movement'of the vehicle is also facilitated by the employment :of brace rods'8 connected at Z to the lower ends a: the drums e of the housings 3 which surround the differentials and led thence up ward and inward to the point 9 where they are connected to the center of a loop-shaped guide 10 which is carried beneath the center -of the casing 11 that incloses the transmission mechanism T. Through 'said guide pass the rods or bars 12 of" the short-turning, gear G,whose outer ends are-pivotally connected as at 13 with collars 14 surrounding the axles near the wlieels W, and the centers of said rods cross each othc" loosely where they pass through said guide 10 as' gears and also engage said racks whereby the latter may slide from the position shown in Fig. 4- to that shown in Fig. 3 as will be clear. gears 16 (slightly to one side. of the forward drivechain 2, passes), through a bearing-54 carried by a bracket or support 55 (see Fig. 5) within the chassis of tliema'chine, and 'up through a standard 56 mounted on the floor of the cab C as bestseen in Fig. 1 and the upper end of this shaft carries a worm wheel 60 (see Figs. 6 and 'l whose teeth engage a worm 61 on a 'Iiorizontalshaft 62 having a hand wheel 63 by means of-which the vehicle may be steered by hand when the road is not too rough or the load too heavy. In such case, however, it may be desirable if not necessary to employ power for steering the vehicle, so long as it is under control of the pilot. For this purpose I provide the other end 'of the shaft 62 with a friction wheel 70 standing between two other wheels or disks 71, 7.2 which are mounted fast on a'shaft 73 journaled in bearings at right angles-to the shaft 62;

. and one of said wheels, as for instance, that numbered 72 may be connected with the enginc E in any suitable manner as by a belt 74 as seen in Fig. 1. Pivotally mounted on the standard 56 withinreach ofthe pilot is a lever 75 having a fork 76 loosely engaging a grooved wheel 77 fast on said shaft 73, and when the lever is shifted in the proper direction-one of the friction wheels 71 or 72 is brought into contact with the edge of thefriction wheel so as to rotate the latter and the worm shaft 62 as desired. As seen in Fig. 6 the shaft 73 has been moved within its bearings to a position where neither friction wheel 71 or '72 contacts with the driven friction wheel 70., and the latter is therefore this view disconnects the power from the Said shaft :rises from the worm shaft and the latter remains at rest, and he may liold'it and the entire steering mechanism against the vibration by keeping his hands upon the wheel 63; and after the turn has been negotiated, he may move the lever in the opposite direction to throw the V other power disk into contact with the driven friction disk 70, and restore the steere mg mechanism to its normal nosition'so that the vehicle travels straight along the-roadway. In such movement of the steering mechanism in either-direction, the gear 16 engages the teeth in-the racks 15 and the front;;axle is turnedaside as seen in Fig. 3, andthe short-turninggear between this axle and therear axle'lt causes the latter to turn aside in the' opposite directionto an equal extent. Meanwhile the rogls or-bars 12 of the short-turning gear move over each other slightly and slide. aside within the guide-l0 which is secured beneath the transmission casing 11 as seen in Fig. 2, and said guide permits this movement while preventing rattling and dislocation of parts. As it is quite obvious that a' shortgear whereby both axles are turned instead of one, will steer the vehicle more sensitively or turn it on 'a sharper curve than where one axleonly is'turned, it will be clear that the worm connection'between the steer- 'ingshaft 62 and the upright shaft 52 is desirable whether the former be'turned by hand or bypowe'r; and an added advantage of this construction is that the worin connection' betweensaid shafts prevents the vibrations of the axle from being" transmitted back to the steering shaft unless-the worm be extremely steep which is not desirable. I

.do not. limit myself however to the exact details of construction nor to'the sizes, proportions, or materials of parts.

and spaced apart a greater distance than the width of said friction disk,- means for shifting this shaft, and connections between said belt wheel and niotor.i 9. In'il motor vehicle, the combination of a main frame, a power shaft thereon, a steering gearjncluding an upright-shaft, a

supporting stand on the frame for said upright shaft, a worm; gear on top of, said shaft, a horizontal shafthaving on its iii-' tel-mediate portion a worm to mesh with said worm gear; a hand wheel on one end of said horizontal shaft, a disk upon the other end of said shaft, a longitudinally shiftable shaft arranged at right angles to said hori shiftable shaft,'and means connecting said.

belt wheel to the power shaft.

3. In a motor vehicle, the combinationv with a; main frame, and a motor therein; of

shaft'connected with the steermg axle and asteering mechanism including an upright carrying a worm gear, a horizontal shaft having a worm in mesh with said gear, a

driven wheel fast on this, shaft, a longitudinallylshiftable shaft standing at ri ht angles to said worin shaft and having ast thereon two driving wheels spaced a greater distance apart than the width-of said driven wheel, one of said driving wheels being a belt pulley, a belt connecting it with said motor, a grooved wheel fast on this shaft, and a pivoted lever having a fork engaging the groove thereof for shi ting this sha to throw either driving wheel into contact with 'the driven wheel, for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two silbscribing wit- LER,

Hannr W. KEENY. 

